The found love among the sea turtles
"Long walks on the beach." It's considered the ultimate in romance. Add to that the flavor of a hot Mexican night. But wait – this meeting wasn't quite as romantic as it first might seem.
View Larger ImageIt was 2002 when Misha Leong, an Oakland native who is now 26, jumped at the chance to help with sea turtle conservation on a remote beach north of Puerto Vallarta. Then a student at UCLA studying ecology, she signed on for a three-week stint. What she found surprised her: The camp itself was little more than a few tents, with no toilet, no water and the hot sun beating down all day. Volunteers took night shifts following female turtles so they could whisk their freshly laid eggs to safely incubate elsewhere.
"It sounded good on paper," says Misha, an avowed animal lover, "but it was actually quite harsh."
